I can't go on enough about how much Aetna sucks. Since I've been on the bronze plan this year, I have to go through a $4,000 deductible before Aetna will pay any of my pharmacy costs. Much of my medication has been so expensive that I have to pay cash and forget about the insurance, which means I don't get that money taken out of my deductible. Medication that cost me $37 In 2013 now costs me $181 for 60 days. I can't afford to take the medication that I need to be a functioning, productive worker. Seems kinda counterintuitive.
Part of the problem is that the prices for specialty medications have gone way up. I had to start taking a blood thinner this year. Aetna will only pay for Lovenox, not heparin. Their cost to the insured is $98.62 for five days (2 injections a day.) I'm supposed to be on it for nine months. So that's what... approximately $5400 for nine months of Lovenox. So I opted for heparin, which Aetna won't pay for. My cost from CVS with a GoodRx discount is $75.
One of the ways Aetna sought to recover its costs from having to insure everybody (oh, the horror!) was to raise the cost of its specialty medications. So essentially that means I have to shop around for a medication I can afford (because Aetna sucks) so I won't die. What was the point of having Aetna anyway? Oh, and by the way, I'm in Texas.
Update:Just priced my medication around the area, and I can get double the dosage for $17 at Walmart with a GoodRx coupon. Not shilling for GoodRX, but they have saved me a lot of money.
I don't see what the point is of having pharmacy coverage if I can't get a discount on certain drugs.